


(Im)Perfect Match

by mistykor



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fake Science, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28476396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistykor/pseuds/mistykor
Summary: Donghyuck is part of the 0.0001% of the population who thinks that he and his soulmate don't match even though he’d never met them. While Mark thinks the soulmate system is bullshit and doesn’t want to meet his soulmate ever.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. That’s My Seat

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading a fic about soulmates and the author used the word ‘soulmate system‘ and I just suddenly had an idea about sci-fi dystopian (kinda) type of soulmate fic so here it is.
> 
> Disclaimer: I’m not an expert in science and my imagination might be too limited so please excuse me.
> 
> Also, while writing this, it kinda reminded me of the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver (she’s the author of Before I Fall! That Netflix movie). If you’re into dystopian, it’s a good read. It was actually interesting how she got the idea for the book.
> 
> Again, emphasis on FAKE science.

Once a baby is born, a chip is implanted on their brain. At first, it was only implanted for the purpose of checking the brain activity of babies to ensure their growth and to put an intervention as early as possible when an abnormal brain activity is detected. Soon, the chip’s purpose also evolved, prompted by World War III that happened centuries ago, the chip that used to monitor newborn’s brain waves became a chip used to matchmake individuals. This is so in order to prevent another war. 

From the history books that Donghyuck had read, the war started because of a disagreement between two countries. At first, you would think it’s because of their two leaders but alas, it was a story of their children, who prompted the war because of jealousy, envy and insecurities. Donghyuck can’t help but shudder at what happened at the expense of their citizens. Good thing that today, although it’s still far from peaceful, there were no threats of waging a war due to selfish reasons because people are content. They’re content because they are receiving the love that they want and deserve. The soulmate system–that’s what they call it–really was doing a great job at keeping the people pacified. 

Donghyuck sighed as he closed his history book and laid his head on top of it. 

The soulmate system is a great thing because the scope is worldwide and you won’t even have to worry about the travel fees if your soulmate lives in another side of the world because if the purpose of your travel is to find your soulmate, the travel expenses are almost always free and if not, discounted to an affordable price. 

Because the chip is connected to one’s phone (it is required by the government), it gets a notification when the system finds a suitable match when the chip’s owner turns 18. The system only chooses on the pool of matches with up to three years of age gap because even after centuries, of course, it is still illegal for adults to have relationships with minors; the only difference today is that, nobody would even think to do that today because, not only is it unethical and illegal, but people are already content with what (or rather, who) they have and there are only 0.0001% of the population who would think that them and their soulmates do not match. In other words, it’s near impossible. 

The chip usually notifies the owner at the age of 18 because that’s when puberty had already hit and the owner is transitioning to the stage of being a young adult; meaning, the owner’s personality and preferences have almost reached its peak and any changes over time might only be minimal and it’s the perfect time to match them with another individual. 

The thing is, Donghyuck had known he has a soulmate since he was 17, a year too early before his 18th birthday so he guesses his soulmate must be a year older than him. 

Yes, there are cases like him, who receive their notifications a little too early because their soulmates already receive theirs. Although, usually, it only does that when the said soulmates have only a one year age gap. It’s a glitch in the system. 

And now, he’s already 20 and still hasn't tried to look for his ‘soulmate’. 

He knows his soulmate lives in Canada (and obviously very far from Korea) but he still doesn’t know his name because the system won’t let him until he’s in the vicinity of his soulmate which kinda sucks because he would have liked to search his soulmate through social media. 

Well, that’s the exact reason why the system does that; it is to prevent long-distance soulmates from being ‘turned off’ with their soulmate and forgoes finding them because yes, centuries have passed and yet the saying that ‘not everything in social media is true’ still stands. 

So after learning that, Donghyuck had decided to not look for his soulmate anymore. He knows too well why the soulmate system is in place since he is a history major, however, that does not mean he wants to be part of the system. 

Yes, he’s part of the 0.0001% of the population who thinks that he and his soulmate don't match even though he’d never met them. 

Why?

It’s simple. It’s because he feels that his soulmate also thinks they don’t match. 

Donghyuck can feel his stomach protest in hunger. It’s already ten in the morning and he had yet to eat breakfast. 

He stood up from his seat and hovered his hand from his phone until a hologram of the interface of his phone popped up. He swipes through his contacts until he found the contact he was looking for and tapped the call button. 

“What?” Spat the person from the other end of the line.

“You awake?” Donghyuck asked as he walked through his walk-in closet to change. 

He heard an irritated groan, “What do you want? You know that I don’t have classes until the afternoon. Why do you have to wake me up so early in the morning?”

“Renjun, it’s ten.” He deadpanned as he pulled a hoodie from the row of his clothes and a pair of black ripped jeans. 

“So? It’s early!” 

Donghyuck pulled the hoodie over his head and changed his pants, “Get your ass up and let’s have breakfast together.” 

It’s been three years since the day he got the notification from the soulmate system app regarding his soulmate and it’s been quiet since. Neither he nor his soulmate had made an effort to look for each other if the current location of his soulmate was any indication. His soulmate is still in Canada. He shrugs. Fine by him. It’s not like he needs a soulmate. 

It’s been quiet for a while now on the other end of the line and it could only mean one thing. 

“Renjun, I have an access key to your dorm. If I have to drag your ass out of bed, you bet I will.” 

He heard a grunt from the line, “Fuck you.” 

“You know I would, if only you weren’t fucking that star basketball player.” And he stifled a laugh when he heard a thump from the other line which means Renjun must have fallen off the bed if the litany of curses that followed after is any indication.

Renjun scoffed, “As if. I wouldn’t even let you near my ass.” 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes as he gathered his things in his bag, “So I take it we’ll be meeting in about 15 minutes, yeah?” 

“Fine. Yes, we’ll meet at our favorite café.” Donghyuck beams at that. 

“Of course you can’t resist me. You love me.” Donghyuck teased as he heard Renjun heaved a sigh. 

“Shut up. I’ll be there in fifteen. See you,” Renjun says then ends the call. 

Donghyuck looked over at his history book and contemplated if he’ll bring his history book or he’ll opt to use e-book instead. 

Donghyuck sighed and ended up shoving his book inside his bag. Even after centuries, there are still people like Donghyuck who prefers reading a physical book, not only because it’s crazy cool to own a physical book but also because it’s more comfortable to read with paper. (And maybe the smell of paper also entices Donghyuck). 

🧩

“You look like shit.” Donghyuck says as he raised a brow at his friend, who has a seemingly permanent scowl on his face. 

He watches Renjun take a seat in front of him, letting his bag fall from his shoulder to the ground as he takes a sip of his caramel frappuccino. 

“ _You_ are shit.” says Renjun as he snatches the cup from Donghyuck’s hand. 

Donghyuck feign hurt at the comment, “How dare you. I even ordered you Americano with eight shots.” 

“That’s Jaemin’s order. You can’t fool me.” Renjun deadpanned. 

Donghyuck laughed at his friend’s state, “Yeah, that’s Jaemin’s. By the way, they’ll be here in ten so you better get your drink before they do. You know that you’ll have to queue in line when they get here.” 

Renjun grunts at that, “Why did you order Jaemin’s and not mine?” 

Donghyuck shrugs, “Jaemin’s order is easy to memorize. Plus he’s my favorite.” 

Renjun narrowed his eyes at him, “Liar. Shotaro’s your favorite. What favor did Jaemin do for you this time?” 

“Do you hear yourself, Renjun?” Donghyuck gasped. “Of course, Shotaro is everyone’s favorite!” 

Renjun just rolled his eyes, “Don’t deflect. Out with it. What did you have Jaemin do?” 

Donghyuck snatched back his drink and took a sip from it, “Trust me. It’s better you don’t know.” 

At that, Renjun gasped. Why does Renjun look so shocked? He should be used to it by now, being with Donghyuck since they were in high school and all. 

“Don’t tell me you pulled a prank again against a senior or worse, a faculty member.” 

Donghyuck remained quiet and Renjun’s eyes almost bulged out of their socket. 

“Don’t be dramatic. It’s not the worst that I did. Actually, compared to what I’ve done, this is the most, let’s say, not chaotic.” Donghyuck can’t help but laugh at Renjun. 

It’s true; it’s not the worst but he could have gone about it in a better way. Sure, making your friend pretend to date you so you could get people off your back and stop them from asking you to date them is not the best solution. (But maybe, it’s also Donghyuck’s way of helping Jaemin so their other friend, Jeno, could get his head out of his ass and grow balls to ask Jaemin out but that’s another story to tell another time). 

And yes, even with the soulmate system, people still ask people, who are not their soulmate, to date. Well, they call it ‘practice’ because when these people meet their soulmates, they drop the relationship as easily as when Donghyuck decided to drop that calculus class which he didn’t actually need, but the overachiever in him wanted to challenge himself and challenge, he did. 

Most of the time, people don’t take it to heart when their boyfriend/girlfriend at the time breaks up with them when they’ve already met their soulmate because they all know that whatever they have right now can’t compare to when they’ve experienced it with their soulmate. But there will still be people, who will always end up being hurt, like he did. 

He sighs. He doesn’t want to go back to that memory. 

Just as Renjun was about to scold Donghyuck one more time, Donghyuck saw at the corner of his eyes a very tall young man. A young man with obviously six-pack abs, if his almost see-through shirt isn’t any indication of that. 

Donghyuck shamelessly checks out the man and waved his hand to get his attention. The man immediately took notice of them and walked to their table, giving Renjun a kiss on his temple before plopping down beside him.

“Hey, babe.” Renjun, being the way he is, ignored the man and continued glaring at Donghyuck. 

“Lee Donghyuck, I’m telling you if you—“ Donghyuck held up a hand to stop Renjun. 

“It’s not dangerous, I promise! It’s not even a prank… kinda.” He gave Renjun a sheepish smile. 

Renjun narrowed his eyes at him. 

“Come on, your boyfriend is here! Xuxi might think I’m deliberately hogging all your attention. He might suspect you love me more than you love him.” He winks for good measure and Renjun was about to jump out of his chair to probably choke hold Donghyuck if Lucas or Xuxi or Yukhei (seriously, he has a lot of names!) hadn’t put his arm around Renjun’s shoulder, immediately pacifying his boyfriend. 

Lucas just laughs at Donghyuck’s antics. This is why Donghyuck likes Lucas more than his boyfriend who is a personification of anger itself.

“Don’t laugh. You’re encouraging him.” Lucas pouts at his boyfriend. It’s incredibly endearing how soft Lucas gets when it involves Renjun when his other half is his complete opposite. 

Donghyuck turns his attention to Lucas and cups his hands around his mouth to not really-whisper to Lucas, “How do you stand this little demon?” 

Lucas just gave him a grin as Renjun answered for him. “We’re soulmates,” Renjun deadpanned. 

“And what do you mean by little demon?” Renjun frowns. “If there’s a demon here, it’ll be you.” 

“Yeah,” he agrees as took a sip of his drink, “But if there’s a _little_ ,” he says, giving emphasis to the word as he continues, “demon here, it’ll be you.” He stuck out his tongue at his best friend, who is seconds away from ending his life. Good thing, his boyfriend is there to calm him down. 

Rule #1: Do not provoke Renjun whenever Xuxi is not around.

So far, Donghyuck had survived five years without Renjun killing him in his sleep. 

“Whatever.” Renjun replied as he leaned on Lucas' shoulder. “Hey babe? Would you mind ordering me my fave drink? Because some devil here decided to wake me up so early but doesn’t have the heart to order a drink for his best bro.” Renjun says as he glares at Donghyuck. 

“No, it’s fine. I was actually going to order a drink for myself. I really need it to stay awake for my next class.” Lucas then stood up from his seat but not before giving Renjun a kiss on his hair once more. Donghyuck fake gagged at that. 

“You two are so cheesy. It’s disgusting.” Renjun only rolled his eyes. 

“By the way, where are the others? I thought they’ll be here in ten?” Renjun raised a brow at Donghyuck. 

“They’ll be here, especially Nana because he badly needs his daily intake of coffee.” 

“Don’t tell me something I already know.” Renjun replies as he tries to steal Donghyuck’s drink one more time. 

“Oh, speak of the devil and he shall appear. That’s them.” Donghyuck points at the door as it chimes, signalling the entry of new customers. A group of young men entered through the door, a black-haired male leading the group. 

When Jaemin caught his eyes, it immediately narrowed and he stomped his way to their table. 

“Are you insane?” Jaemin almost immediately shouts. “You—“ He was cut off as Donghyuck immediately shoved the coffee he ordered for Jaemin and gave him a sheepish smile, “Coffee?” 

Jaemin raised a brow at him before continuing, “If—“

“It’s Americano with eight shots. Just for you.” Donghyuck says with a wink and as expected, Jaemin relented as he took the cup from Donghyuck and drank the coffee like it’s water before plopping down beside him. 

After he finished the coffee, Jaemin turned his whole body to Donghyuck, “Now, explain.” 

Donghyuck’s eyes flew to their other friends who were noisily chattering by the counter, ordering. The poor barista now looks confused as a slew of orders flew her way, their friends telling their orders simultaneously. 

“Come on, Jaemin. Don’t you wanna date me? I’m like, hot and stuff.” Donghyuck offers. 

Jaemin’s brows flew to his hairline, “And stuff?” 

“Wait, what?” Renjun suddenly interrupted. “What?” He repeated. 

“Uh, we’re now dating?” Donghyuck says as he tries to put his arm around Jaemin’s shoulder only to be jabbed on his ribs with a finger. He hissed in pain and Jaemin just rolled his eyes at him.

“Fake dating, you mean.” Jaemin corrects.

“What he said.” Donghyuck says as he points a thumb at Jaemin. 

“What the fuck. So this is the favor.” Renjun says as he leaned back on his chair. “Well, it _is_ not chaotic, at least.” 

He folded his arms on his chest, “So what led to that?” 

Donghyuck groaned as he slumped on the table, “People won’t leave me alone because they, like, know I don’t have a soulmate? Or like, an active soulmate, at least. And they think I’m the best ‘practice’ date for them.” He air-quoted the ‘practice’ for emphasis. 

“Don’t put yourself down, Hyuck. Like you said, you’re hot,” Renjun shrugs. “And stuff.” And Donghyuck just knows that Renjun is wearing a shit-eating grin right now so Donghyuck opted to close his eyes. 

“I just,” He sighed. “I just want them to leave me alone. And Nana right here is single as fuck and like a heartthrob at school so you know, they would probably back off now, knowing this handsome face is taken by another handsome face.” 

“I’m just gonna say this but Hyuck?” Donghyuck turns to face Jaemin. “You owe me Americano for the duration of this fake-dating thingy.” 

At that, Donghyuck grins, “Deal.” 

“Here,” Donghyuck hears Lucas say. He must have just gotten his and Renjun’s drinks. “I’m gonna have to go now though. My blockmate is waiting for me. We have this project going on and he wants to have a head start before the class starts.” 

“Okay, good luck then.” Donghyuck didn’t bother lifting his head to bid Lucas goodbye because he’s pretty sure after Renjun bid his boyfriend goodbye, Lucas was busy taking all the oxygen out of Renjun’s mouth so he simply raised a hand to wave him goodbye. 

“Goodbye, Xuxi.” 

“Bye, Xuxi!” Jaemin bid, quite enthusiastically, goodbye. 

A moment later, their table was now filled with different chatters after their friends had finished getting their orders. 

🧩

Donghyuck and Jaemin’s fake dating didn't last long because Jeno suddenly had an epiphany and grew balls to ask Jaemin out (thank God!). Honestly, Donghyuck can’t understand why Jeno was so scared to ask Jaemin out when Jaemin was his soulmate. Jaemin couldn’t be trusted with asking Jeno out because he was oblivious as fuck and also someone who always loves to jump to conclusions. Although he also knew that Jeno was his soulmate, he thought that Jeno was dating his childhood friend, Yeeun. And again, although it was true that people drop their relationships when they meet their soulmates, Jaemin, being the nicest person Donghyuck knows, doesn’t want to be the cause of someone else’s break up even if said break up is between his soulmate and another person. 

Donghyuck can’t help but massage his temples whenever he remembers the misunderstandings between the two because one is too scared to ask out the other while the said other loves to jump to conclusions. 

When he looked up, he saw a man staring at him so he raised a brow at him. The man cleared his throat, “That’s my seat.” 

Donghyuck looked around at the table and under his seat, “Does this table have your name in it?” 

The stranger blinks his eyes at him, “Well, no?” 

Donghyuck then leans on his chair and shrugs, “Not your seat then.” 

The man sighed, “Look, man. My friend and I usually sit in here and we’re meeting in about 10 minutes.” 

Donghyuck can’t help but raised his brows at the man again, “So? My friends and I usually sit here too. And do you see me shooing you away when I see you sitting here with your friend?” Not that Donghyuck had seen anyone other than their group of friends sit here before. Although, Donghyuck had never sat in this seat during this time of the day because he usually has classes at this time but their professor cancelled class at the last minute. So now, he’s here at their campus’ cafeteria, waiting for his other friends, who are free at the moment. 

The man narrowed his eyes at him before slamming down his tray on the table and sitting in front of Donghyuck. Donghyuck scoffed at the man’s attitude. 

“Excuse me, but this seat is clearly occupied. Find somewhere else to eat and to wait for your friend.” 

The man ate a spoonful of rice before gesturing vaguely around the cafeteria. 

Donghyuck looked around and saw that every table is currently occupied by students. Donghyuck suddenly remembers that it’s already lunch time. 

Grumbling, Donghyuck decided to just ignore the man because he’s sure the man would want to walk away once he meets Donghyuck’s obnoxiously loud friends. 

He pulled out his history book from his bag and began reading a chapter when he suddenly heard someone choking. 

When he looked up, the man was coughing uncontrollably, which made Donghyuck wince. He took pity on the man so he handed him his cup of water which the man gulped down in record’s time. 

When the man had stopped coughing, he looked up at Donghyuck with big eyes which made Donghyuck recoil. 

“You own a physical book?” The man asked in wonder, which made Donghyuck flushed. 

“Yeah.” 

The man eyed Donghyuck’s book with curiosity. “Wow. Can I…” The man seems to hesitate, “Can I touch it?” 

Donghyuck’s brows furrowed, “Well, no.” 

The man’s eyes immediately met his eyes once again. 

“Please?” The man pleads. And Donghyuck is a sucker for puppy eyes. He can’t just deny this man the privilege to touch his book when the man was practically begging with. puppy. eyes. You hear? With puppy eyes! 

It only took Donghyuck two seconds of deliberation before he was passing his book to the man in front of him. 

The man held the book carefully. 

“Wow, it’s heavy. Are all books this heavy?” 

Sometimes, Donghyuck forgets that not everybody has touched a book before. His history book wasn’t _that_ heavy. It was actually light in terms of books. 

“No. That’s actually the usual weight of books.” The man’s eyes went wide as he scanned the book. “Well, textbooks, at least,” Donghyuck mumbles to himself.

His fingers lifted the cover gingerly and he peeked inside and sniffs. 

The man’s eyes were wide as he looked at Donghyuck, “It smells nice.”

Donghyuck beams at him. Because yes! Somebody finally understands him. Renjun wouldn’t dare get near a physical book although he does admit that Donghyuck’s cool for owning a physical book. And Donghyuck basks in that; it’s rare for Renjun to compliment anyone, especially Donghyuck, for that matter. While his other friends don’t really have any opinion on whether books do smell nice or not. 

“Right? Right?” Donghyuck says excitedly. “I’m glad somebody understands me!” 

His phone suddenly lit up and he waited for his holoscreen to pop up. He read the messages his friends left him. Almost all of them are saying they can’t eat lunch with Donghyuck. Donghyuck can’t help but sigh as he read through more messages. 

“What’s wrong?” He heard the man in front of him ask. 

Donghyuck shook his head before he stood up from his seat and slung his bag on his shoulder, “I guess you and your friend can have the table after all.” 

He carefully reached out for his book when the man suddenly grabbed his wrist, making him raise his brows at him. 

The man must have realized what he had done for he immediately let Donghyuck’s wrist go. 

“You can stay.” 

Donghyuck suddenly had a realization, “No. It’s really okay. My friends cancelled on me so you can have the table to yourself.” He smiled. 

The man shook his head, “I mean, you can stay. Uh,” the man diverted his eyes on his food. “My friend cancelled on me too.” He looked up and gave Donghyuck a sheepish grin. 

Donghyuck can’t help but let out a smile and sat back down on his seat, “I guess our friends both suck, don’t you think? They ditched us both.” 

The man chuckled, “Yeah. They suck. They should be glad to spend time with me and yet,” the man simply shrugged. 

Donghyuck’s grin grew wider, “Hey, I like you. Let’s talk more shit about our friends.” 

The man seemed stunned for a moment before he let out a laugh. 

Donghyuck enjoys his friends’ company, really! But being with this stranger is like a breath of fresh air. It may have been because he’s now too used to his friends that meeting someone new feels like a whole new world. 

Yeah, that’s right. That’s the explanation why Donghyuck feels endeared at the stranger’s laugh, at the way he tells stories with big gestures of his hands and at the way he looked amazed when he touched Donghyuck’s book for the first time. It’s like looking at a kid. The stranger somehow feels like a little brother to Donghyuck. He can’t help the fond smile that forms in his face. 

When they parted ways, that’s when Donghyuck realized he didn’t even get the man’s name. 

Donghyuck felt a little sad at the sudden realization but somehow Donghyuck feels he and the stranger will meet again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I don’t really have a clear grasp on what the future might look like. Let your mind run wild; anything could be possible here (at least that’s what I think?). 
> 
> Anyway, as always, thank you for giving this fic a try! I still don’t know where this fic will go because it seems it has a mind of its own and this is very much a self-indulgent fic so...


	2. Mark Lee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most people look forward to their 18th birthday because that’s when they receive ‘the notification’ or what high schoolers like to refer to as ‘cupid’s message’. They receive notifications about the whereabouts of their soulmate and when they come to their soulmate’s vicinity or vice versa, they are given a name and from there, the soulmates’ journey to finding each other really starts. 
> 
> (Or, Mark receives ‘the notification’)

Mark looked at the digital clock on his bedside table. It read 11:55 PM. Just 5 minutes before the clock strikes twelve. Just 5 minutes before his 18th birthday. 

Mark took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

He knows that when the clock strikes twelve, he’ll finally be of legal age. He can finally leave. Just 5 minutes more. 

When he opened his eyes, the clock now reads 11:58 PM. He almost held his breath as he watched it flicker to 11:59 PM. 

_Just one fucking minute more._

As soon as he saw it flicker to 12:00 AM, he grabbed his backpack that he prepared the night before. He readied his holo passport and keycard to the car. The car that used to belong to his father. 

He ran downstairs as fast as he could. He wanted to get away as soon as possible. 

But before he could even step out of the house, a voice stopped him. 

“Where are you going?” He turned to see his cousin, Johnny. 

He gripped his bag tighter, unconsciously, “Out.” 

Johnny took a step towards him and Mark could feel his heart beat faster. 

“Mark, where are you going?” Johnny repeated the question, softly. 

“I told you, I’m going out.” He can’t bear Johnny’s intense gaze so he looked away. 

“Are you gonna come back?” Mark gulped before he looked at the floor, afraid of how his cousin would react as he shook his head. 

“Mark, look at me.” Mark reluctantly looked up and was greeted with his cousin’s smiling face. 

“It’s okay, Mark. I understand,” his cousin said so gently that Mark just wanted to cry until everything became okay again. “I just want to know where you’ll be going.” 

Mark bit his lip and shook his head, “I still don’t know where to go. I just… I just want to… leave.” 

Johnny nods his head in understanding, “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Mark tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat and braced himself for the next words he’s about to say, “Do you know how to remove the chip?” 

Johnny was silent for a moment. He obviously didn’t expect that. 

“W-what?” Johnny asked almost breathlessly. His eyes were wide when he added, “You could die, Mark!” 

Mark shook his head, “I’m not trying to die, Johnny. I just want my chip gone.” 

Johnny opened his mouth but closed it again right after seemingly deciding against what he was going to say. He sighed. 

“I know someone who could hack into chips.” If looks could kill, Mark would probably be dead right now with the sharpness of Johnny’s gaze directed at him. 

“There are lots of complications in removing a chip, Mark. Again, you could die! Also, you’ll need to go to the hospital for that and they’ll ask you why you wanted to get rid of it,” Johnny’s eyes are almost pleading. 

“Nothing gets past the authorities, Mark.” He reminded. Mark knows. He’s aware. 

“They might tag you a rebel and you’ll either be killed or be on the run for the rest of your life.” 

He took a deep breath, “I know, Johnny. I know.” 

“Yet you still want to do it?” 

Mark looks down and shrugs, “Yes?” And when he heard Johnny gasped, he retracted his statement, “Okay, maybe no. I just... really just want to get rid of this chip.” He sighs. 

Johnny looked around outside as he pulled Mark back into the house; the door closed automatically as they made their way to the living room.

Johnny stared at him in all seriousness, “Why, exactly, do you want to remove your chip, Mark?” 

When Mark remained silent, Johnny continued as realization suddenly hit him, “Is it… is it because of aunty?” 

Mark sighed for the umpteenth time and nodded. 

“Oh, Mark.” Suddenly, Mark was enveloped in a warm hug. He suddenly remembers his mother and the way her hugs were always warm. 

“I just don’t want to meet my soulmate, ever.” 

“You do know why the soulmate system is in place, right? Mark?” 

Mark can’t help the anger that wells up inside of him, “I know! Trust me, Johnny, I know.” He says the last part almost too quietly.

“But I also know the effects once a soulmate disappears. It’s… it’s…” he croaks as tears gather at the corner of his eyes. 

He angrily wipes them away, “The soulmate system is bullshit. It made me an orphan.” 

Johnny frowns, “But Mark, it also made you _you_. Do you really regret your parents meeting each other?” 

Mark’s lip trembles as he whispers, “No.” 

He looks up at Johnny, “I just miss my dad, Johnny. I miss my mom. I miss my family. But I can’t have them anymore. Mom… mom would forever be broken beyond repair and I… I’m gonna bear the burden because I keep reminding her of him.” 

He’s now crying and on his 18th birthday to boot. _Happy_ 18th birthday, Mark Lee. 

Most people look forward to their 18th birthday because that’s when they receive ‘the notification’ or what high schoolers like to refer to as ‘cupid’s message’. They receive notifications about the whereabouts of their soulmate and when they come to their soulmate’s vicinity or vice versa, they are given a name and from there, the soulmates’ journey to finding each other _really_ starts. 

“Mark!” Johnny suddenly exclaimed that made Mark abruptly stop his pity party. 

Johnny’s eyes were wide as he stared at Mark, “The notification had just arrived.” 

Mark’s heart almost stopped beating. He didn’t even hear nor feel the notification came. As he tried to calm his breath, his heart also calmed. 

“Well? Aren’t you gonna check it?” 

Mark furrows his brows at his cousin, “I just said that I don’t want to meet my soulmate, ever, yet you’re asking me to check ‘the notification’?” 

Johnny rolls his eyes, “Nevermind. Give me your phone.” 

Mark hadn’t even noticed when Johnny got his phone but when he realized this, his cousin was already hovering his hand over Mark’s phone. As he does so, the holoscreen popped up, displaying the distinct interface of the soulmate system app, congratulating him. 

_Hello Mark Lee of Vancouver,_

_Congratulations! You have now turned eighteen._

_This is to notify you that the current location of your designated soulmate is Korea. You are currently 5,344 miles away from them._

_We wish you luck in your journey to meet your soulmate. Kindly remember that all travel expenses to Korea will be paid by the government. Please send a holo-mail to the government to notify them of your plans to depart immediately._

_Contact us at our holo-mail if there are any more inquiries._

_Thank you,_

_Soulmate System Administrators_

There were few moments of silence before Johnny opened his mouth to speak. 

“Hey, I have an idea.” Mark turns to face him. 

“Go to Korea.” Mark’s brows flew to his hairline as Johnny continued, “Think about it: all travel expenses will be paid since our government fully supports soulmate finding quests of people and—“ 

“Our?” Mark interjected.

“Sorry. Forgot I wasn’t Canadian.” Johnny shrugs. 

“Also, why would I go to Korea? Haven’t you heard me? I don’t want to meet my soulmate _ever_!” 

“I heard you the first time alright.” Johnny rolls his eyes. “But if you don’t really want to find your soulmate, from what I know, once your chip is hacked, your location can be disabled and your soulmate’s location can be blocked too. You won’t have to worry about being found and you won’t be tempted to look for them too.” 

Mark’s body didn’t even realize his body was tense until he relaxed after hearing what Johnny said. 

“Also, man? The trip to Korea will be an all expense paid trip if you’re gonna look for your soulmate—“

“But I’m not going to.”

“I know,” Johnny sighs, “But get this: Korea, right?” Mark nodded. “It’s where our grandparents currently live and where our parents grew up.” 

Mark’s eyes widened as realization hit him. 

“Mark, you can help your mother recover. The doctor said so, didn’t she? Your mother needs to be reminded of things she once loved, of things she had loved before your father. Gather things or even people she used to love from her hometown to bring back here.” 

Johnny gently grabbed his shoulders, “You could also pursue education there, you know? Study to help your mother; participate in the research about cases like hers.” 

Johnny pursed his lips as he continued, “It doesn’t have to be a bad thing to go to Korea just because your soulmate is there.”

🧩

Sometimes Mark thinks his cousin possesses a power that he doesn’t know about because if he doesn’t, how did he even convince Mark to eventually move to Korea temporarily? Especially with the knowledge that he will be in the same vicinity as his soulmate. 

He sighs as he reads his ticket pass that was holo-mailed to him by the government; the ticket he was granted to travel to Korea (for free!) in order to ‘look’ for his soulmate. He wasn’t required to buy a return ticket because he also specified that while ‘looking for his soulmate’, he would pursue education in the said country. 

He gulped as he walked over the counter and presented his holo-ticket. 

“Oh? You’re going to look for your soulmate?” The staff at the counter asked, quite surprised when Mark presented his ticket.

Mark begrudgingly nodded.

The staff hummed, “That’s nice. You have a soulmate.” Mark blinks. 

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

The staff smiled, “I don’t have one.” 

Mark was stunned for a second before he asked, “Is that—is that even possible?” 

The staff simply shrugs, “I guess. It did happen to me.” 

Mark’s heart was beating so fast. 

“Why? I mean, how? Did… did something happen to your soulmate?” 

The staff continued processing his ticket as he answered, “I never got ‘the notification’ so I figured I don’t have one.” 

“Until now?” The staff stopped swiping through his holoscreen before he nodded. 

“Is it a glitch in the system?” Mark sounded too eager that he had to cough to cover it. 

The man shook his head, “I don’t think so. I think the system just deemed me suitable to be independent, that's why it was never necessary for me to have a match.” 

Mark stared wide-eyed at the staff, “Do you… do you date?” 

The staff raised a brow at him before he chuckled, “If you’re trying to ask me out, sorry, you’re out of luck. Although I doubt it since you’re on your way to meet your soulmate.” 

Mark let out an awkward laugh. 

“And yes, I do date once in a while although I’m pretty content with being single.” The staff smiled at Mark. “I just date when I feel like it. I don’t really close myself off from other possibilities.” 

Mark nodded, “Yeah. But I feel like the possibility of all those possibilities being possible is just another possibility that can possibly happen.” 

The staff let out a startled laugh. 

“Okay, big boy,” The staff says as he finishes processing Mark’s ticket. “You’re all set. I wish you luck on your journey.” The staff smiled at him as he directed Mark towards another staff that would guide him to the plane’s entrance. 

Mark wishes people would stop wishing him luck. He doesn’t want nor need luck in finding his soulmate because he doesn’t plan on finding them. 

🧩

In all of Mark’s eighteen years on Earth, this is the first time he’ll be riding a plane and he is pretty scared. Seriously, how did his cousin even convince him to travel abroad? 

He looked around the plane and almost tripped when he saw a passenger enabling the transparent setting on his pod, making Mark see the view outside of the plane. 

Why do they even have settings like that?, Mark cries internally. 

He knows that it’s rude to look at another passenger’s pod but this is the first time Mark has ever rode a plane so everything is fascinating and scares the shit out of him simultaneously. 

He was led to his own pod, which was a little bit different than the others because his pod was customized to his liking and also, a holo copy of the map of Korea was playing when he entered his pod. 

_Right. I was supposed to be looking for my soulmate._

He sat back down on his seat and pulled up his phone to display his holoscreen. 

His soulmate system app is still enabled. Meaning, he can still be traced by his soulmate and vice versa. 

He sighs as he remembers what Johnny’s hacker friend, Jay, told him. 

“I can’t disable it especially while you’re still travelling.” Mark's face falls. “But I can redirect your location so your current location would still be in Canada.” 

“Is there any way to block my soulmate? So I won’t be updated on their whereabouts? Or vice versa?” Mark watches Jay’s image from his holoscreen sigh.

“There is. But I don’t think it will be safe to do since you’d be travelling to another country with the premise that you’d be looking for your soulmate. The authorities would have your records as someone who is currently in their soulmate searching quest and if your chip suddenly becomes inactive, they’d be suspicious and they might come for the last person you’re in contact with.” _Johnny_. 

Mark took a shaky breath. 

“John might be endangered because of that. The least I could do is redirect your location so your soulmate won’t be able to find you.” 

“Can’t you do the same for them? So I won’t know their location?” Jay raised a brow at him. 

“Would that be necessary? It’s not like you’d be seeking them, right?” Mark shook his head. “Then it would make no difference if I would ever block your soulmate’s chip on your device. Besides, you already know that they’re in Korea; there would be no point if I even tried to block their location on your app.” 

Mark slumped back on his reclining chair and looked out the window of his pod. It’s dawn. The stars are shining brightly in the sky. 

Mark makes a wish before he closes his eyes and goes to sleep. 


	3. Minhyung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why are you here anyway?” Donghyuck asks the man as he stares at him judgingly. 
> 
> “What’s it to you?” 
> 
> “You’re sitting on my seat!” 
> 
> “Funny you say that when last time at the cafeteria, it was you who was sitting on my seat.”

Donghyuck woke up to the blaring sound coming from his phone. He groaned as he begrudgingly sat up and prevented himself from throwing his phone on the wall to silence the offending device. 

He eventually silenced the phone without throwing it on the wall. His phone would probably thank him. 

He groaned as he glanced at the clock pasted on his phone’s holoscreen. 

Right. Today is a Saturday but he and Renjun had a scheduled study date today so he has to get his ass up before the tiny demon barges in his dorm and drags him out of bed. 

Donghyuck was literally dragging his feet to their favorite coffee shop. Too tired and sleep deprived to even greet his favorite barista, Taeil, with a smile, instead he just gave him a weak nod of his head. 

“Didn’t get a good night's sleep last night?” Taeil good-naturedly asks him as he punches in Donghyuck’s order. 

Donghyuck leaned on the counter trying to keep his eyes open before he shook his head. 

Taeil hummed in response as he readied Donghyuck’s order. 

“I forgot a very important term paper and had to finish it last minute last night. I hate my brain for forgetting something so important. I’m never doing that again,” Donghyuck groaned as he slumped half of his body on the counter. Good thing that it was early in the morning and there’s not a lot of customers at the café yet. 

Taeil chuckled as he placed Donghyuck’s steaming hot Americano on the counter for Donghyuck to take. He had only drunk Americano three times in his entire lifetime including today but he needs it to power through the day if he doesn’t want Renjun to know he barely slept last night trying to finish his term paper. He will, for sure, get another scolding from his best friend for procrastinating. 

He eagerly took a gulped of the bitter coffee, immediately hissing when his tongue got burned. Okay, so now he can’t even taste his bitter coffee. He’s pissed because his brain is still half-asleep and his irritation only increased further when he saw someone sitting on his and Renjun’s usual table at the café. 

Whenever Taeil is on shift, Donghyuck knew that he would always reserve the table for them so why in the world is this stranger sitting on their table when there are lots of other available tables in the café. 

He stomped his way over his and Renjun’s favorite table, ready to shoo the stranger away. 

Now, don’t get Donghyuck wrong. He’s not usually someone who would pick a fight with someone over a table. Donghyuck would like to blame his half-asleep brain for doing what he was about to do. 

The stranger was sitting on the booth with his back facing Donghyuck. Donghyuck can’t really see what the stranger looked like but he is pretty sure that the unfamiliar back doesn’t belong to any of his friends and especially not Renjun’s because, obviously, the stranger has a wide set of shoulders and a seemingly strong back that Donghyuck had to think for a second if the stranger was a member of their university’s swim team. He tries and fails to think because one, his brain refuses to cooperate and two, he really doesn’t pay any attention to any athletes that their school has. 

He cleared his throat but the stranger didn’t even bother looking back at him and continued to do what it was he was doing with his holoscreen so Donghyuck tapped the stranger’s shoulder. 

“Excuse me but that is my and my friend’s usual seat. Could you please move to another table?” He wasn’t intending his tone to sound harsh but with his coffee taking too long to kick in in his system, he is simply a personification of human irritation. 

The stranger finally, finally looked back at him with an irritated look and a raised brow before it morphed to that of a recognition. 

“Oh, it’s you.” Donghyuck narrowed his eyes at the man, trying to recall if he had seen his face before but nothing came up. He doesn’t recognize the man’s face at all. 

“My name’s not ‘you’.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Again, could you please move to another table?” 

Honestly, Donghyuck doesn’t know why he was wasting his energy trying to persuade this stranger to move tables. Maybe he just wanted to get adrenaline running through his blood from the fight he was trying to instigate so that he could be fully awake before Renjun got to the coffee shop. 

The man smirked, “What if I don’t wanna?” 

“I said please,” Donghyuck glared at the man. 

“Doesn’t matter,” The man shook his head.

Donghyuck gasped, “I was nice enough to ask with a _please_.” 

“Well, does this table have your name in it?” The man asked as he propped his elbow on the table and leaned his cheek on his open palm. 

“No,” Donghyuck grumbled. 

The man gave a smug smile, “Not yours then.”

Donghyuck closed his eyes and tried to calm himself before slamming down his drink on the table, its content spilling on the table. He is sleep deprived and pissed. 

But as he stared down at the man, who was staring back at him. His brain conveniently supplied him with a memory of an encounter with someone almost two weeks ago in the school’s cafeteria. Suddenly, as if the coffee had just kicked in in his system, he felt awake instantly. He raised a hand, his pointer finger pointing at the man. 

“You!” He almost shouts. 

The man grabbed his pointer finger and pushed it out of his face, “My name’s not ‘you’,” he repeats what Donghyuck had said earlier. 

Donghyuck let his body fall on the chair across the man. 

“Excuse me, but this seat is clearly occupied. Can’t you sit somewhere else?” The man said with a teasing lilt, a smile spread across his face. 

And when Donghyuck recognized the line the man had just said, he grumbled, “Shut up.” 

He had then decided to down his Americano in one go, coughing because of how hot his drink was. The man in front of him passed him a cup of water, much like what Donghyuck had done back in the cafeteria, Donghyuck’s brain recalled. 

“I’ve never seen you here before,” Donghyuck says after emptying the cup of water the man handed him. 

“I’ve never seen you here before either,” the man shots back with a raised brow. 

God, why the hell does Donghyuck find the man sexy with his brow raised like that? Donghyuck would like to, again, blame his still half-asleep brain for the thoughts his brain had conjured. 

Donghyuck frowned, “I’m a regular here.” 

“I’m also a regular here but this is the first time I’ve ever seen you here,” the man shrugs. 

“What? That’s impossible! You sure you’re a regular here?” 

The man leaned back on his chair, “Yes, I’m sure.” 

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes at the man, “Then what’s the name of that barista?” Donghyuck points to Taeil who is busy serving another customer. 

“Well, he’s—“ the man abruptly stops and Donghyuck is now wearing a smug smile because he’s pretty sure the man is not a regular. But the smile on his face immediately fell when he heard what the man said next. 

It’s the man’s turn to narrow his eyes at Donghyuck, seemingly suspicious of him, “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to turn this on me. I’ll say the barista’s name and then you’ll say you know them too when you really don’t.” 

To say Donghyuck is offended is an understatement because he is _deeply_ offended. He can’t believe what this man is accusing him of. How could he not know Taeil? His favorite barista who always gives Donghyuck leftover pastries whenever he stays past the closing time. His favorite barista who already knows Donghyuck’s order by heart and exactly knows what concoction to give Donghyuck as soon as he senses the shift in Donghyuck’s mood. His favorite barista who is like an older brother to him. 

He gaped at the man in offense and when he had gathered himself, he scoffed, “I don’t know about you but I can assure you that the barista can vouch for me.” 

“Well, me too.” 

Donghyuck and the man engaged in a staring contest before Donghyuck is calling for Taeil and bothering him in the middle of work because Donghyuck is petty like that. 

“Hyung!” Taeil looked up from the counter and gave him a kind smile. 

He beckons Taeil to their table and Taeil looked at him in confusion for a few moments before Donghyuck was charming him with his _aegyo_. And Donghyuck was pretty sure he saw Taeil release a long sigh before he was trudging towards their table. 

“What is it, Hyuck?” Donghyuck beamed at him before turning his attention to the man sitting in front of him, giving him a smug smile. 

“See?” The man simply rolled his eyes at him. 

His favorite barista then turned his attention towards the man and gave the man a pat on the back, “I guess you’ve already met Hyuck, huh?” 

The man simply nodded and gave Taeil a small smile, much to Donghyuck’s confusion. 

“Hyung, you know him?” 

Taeil looked at him in confusion, “Yeah?” He asked more than he answered. 

Donghyuck’s eyes widened at the revelation, “What? How? Why?” 

“He works here,” Taeil deadpanned. 

“What?” Donghyuck sputtered. “But I’ve never seen him?” 

He turns to the man, “And I thought you’re a regular?” 

The man shrugs, “Well, I come here regularly because I work here. Doesn’t that count?” 

Donghyuck gave him a look, “You know that’s not what it meant when they say ‘a regular’.” 

The man’s mouth quirk, “Regular, huh?” 

Donghyuck looked at him weirdly before they heard Taeil clearing his throat. 

“He was a regular here before he decided to work here. Anyway,” Taeil glanced at the café’s door when a group of friends entered. 

“I have to get back to work if you don’t need me here anymore,” he gave Donghyuck a stern look to which Donghyuck pouted at. 

Taeil ruffled Donghyuck’s hair before he was turning his attention to the man, “See you tomorrow then.” 

The man nodded in response, “See you.” 

When Taeil was busy again at the counter only then Donghyuck remembered he wanted to ask Taeil why he let the man sit on his and Renjun’s table, regular or not, employee or not. 

“Why are you here anyway?” Donghyuck asks the man as he stares at him judgingly. 

“What’s it to you?” 

“You’re sitting on my seat!” 

“Funny you say that when last time at the cafeteria, it was _you_ who was sitting on my seat.” 

Donghyuck scoffed, “No. That’s also my seat.” 

“You have your name in there or something?” Donghyuck purses his lips as he stays quiet because he does not, in fact, have his name or his friends’ name, for that matter, printed or written anywhere near the table nor the chairs. 

“See? Stop assuming ownership of seats when it is intended for public use.” 

Donghyuck gaped at him. The audacity. 

“Wow. How ironic coming from you.” The man flushed at Donghyuck’s comment because he must have just realized that it was exactly what he did last time at the cafeteria. 

The man runs his fingers through his hair, “Why are we even arguing about this stuff?” 

Donghyuck shrugs, “I don’t know about you but I am just looking for an adrenaline rush to be fully awake at this time of the day.” 

The man blinks at him for a few times, “Do you do this regularly?” 

Donghyuck tries to think for a moment, “Well, I usually pick a fight with my best friend. It either ends up with me being energized from the adrenaline rush or me passing out from being choked.” He shrugs, “You never really know with Renjun.” 

“Oh, wow. So you liked being choked?” Donghyuck opened his mouth to speak before the stranger continued, “You know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t need to know any of that.” 

Donghyuck sighs before shaking his head, a smile slowly forming on his lips. 

“How did we even arrive at this conversation?” 

He saw the man grinned back at him, “I don’t know. I guess that’s the magic of social interaction.” Donghyuck snorts at that. 

They stayed silent for a moment before he offered his hand to the man, “I’m Donghyuck. Lee Donghyuck.” 

The man stared at his hand for a moment before taking it to shake, “And I’m, uh, Ma—Minhyung, I mean. And you can, uh, mark me in your heart?” Donghyuck scrunched his face at him before pulling his hand away from the man who goes by the name of Minhyung.

“Seriously?” Donghyuck asked incredulously. “Is this how you flirt your way around? I feel bad for you.” Donghyuck sighs dramatically just to piss Minhyung off. 

Minhyung swats him on his arm. 

“Shut up! It’s not my idea at all, okay?” He hides his face behind his hands. 

Donghyuck chuckled, “Okay, okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

And Donghyuck swears the tip of Minhyung’s ears are becoming red. And maybe Donghyuck had grown a little (more) fond of the man who kept stealing his seat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Regular, huh?”
> 
> Also, thank you for reading once again!!


End file.
